


Hurting for a Daughter

by ChaoticEther



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 03:16:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticEther/pseuds/ChaoticEther
Summary: Qrow promised to keep Ruby safe. But, in his rush to do so, forgot another promise he made to Summer while they were still in school.





	Hurting for a Daughter

Qrow was doing his best to ignore the stinging of the bruises on his stomach and arms. _For Ruby,_ he’d told himself. He didn’t have to honor the promise any more. The young girl clumsily dug the scythe into the ground, unable to stop the momentum from the rifle-powered swing. Next up: balance training. Her teacher half-heartedly pointed to the lowest branch, eyes tracking her quick footfalls before leaping and springing off the tree onto the branch.  
“Now stay up there for… four minutes. No sitting.” He grumbled, edging slightly closer to catch her if she fell. Ruby had been getting much better in the past week, especially compared to the state he found her in. No idea what sort of weapon she even wanted, let alone a fighting style. One lever pull on Harbinger later and here she was, learning how to use a scythe from the self-proclaimed “best scythe-wielder in Remnant.” Still not excellent at controlling the recoil, but she was getting there. In fact, it reminded him a lot of her mother. After all, she was the one who built his new weapon in the first place. Lost in nostalgia, it took Ruby tugging on his sleeve to remind him they were still training, and the next part was sparring. Without his aura up. Not that it mattered at the moment. She was lucky to get even one swing near its mark. However, when the mentor tried to transform his blade and show her the proper technique, all that came forth was an ear-grating screech as metal tried to move but was locked in place. The thing hadn’t been opened up since Summer gave it to him.  
“Just my luck,” Qrow muttered, sending Ruby on her way before Tai started to freak out _again._

An all-too-recognisable white cloak dropped seemingly out of nowhere between Qrow and the other two men. A glint of silver both in her eyes and dropping out of her sleeves was all it took for the pair to run away. Summer could be pretty imposing when she chose to be. And she didn’t choose that all too often, turning to her teammate with the widest smile she could muster even if her eyebrows failed to hide her concern. Realising the flaw in her expression, she dropped the politeness and jumped straight into questioning,  
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Qrow was taken aback, expecting a scolding or a demand for an explanation. He could say no, and she wouldn’t even press further, even if she did insist on walking back to the dorms with him.  
“Yeah.” And yet he didn’t. How anyone could keep secrets from her was beyond any mortal comprehension. In the blink of an eye the pair were sitting in their locked dorm room, cradling cups of tea to stave off the uneasy chill of honesty. It took almost the entire drink for Qrow to finally speak, Summer placing her teacup on the bedside table to give him her undivided attention.  
“Most people assume I’ve never been in enough trouble to use my semblance. Truth is, it’s almost entirely the opposite. I… bring bad luck wherever I go. Not like I can exactly turn it off. At least, I thought so, until _someone_ in the tribe remembered semblances don’t work without aura.” The usually stoic man’s hands began to tremble slightly as he dredged up memories he’d thought buried. Almost like a sixth sense went off, a pair of warm hands were placed into his own, their chipped black nail polish contrasting against pale skin, coupled with a reassuring grin that screamed “I’m here. I’m listening.”  
“Th-they used to deliberately break my aura. Raid didn’t go as planned? Qrow’s fault. Something in the camp breaks? Qrow’s _goddamn_ fault! The Branwen tribe’s very own bad luck charm. Once, they… they went for Raven. Knowing I’d offer myself up instead. Omen’s the only thing I have left as a reminder.” The young man shot a look across the room to the broadsword hanging below the rest of the team’s weapons.  
“You know, if you wanted, I could always _make_ you a new weapon.” Summer offered, an honest smile working its way across her face. Looking back at the weapon, absurdly large blade folded neatly in half and lacking a ranged option, a plan formed in her mind. “You ever heard of the Grimm Reaper?”

Finally, reluctantly, Qrow loosened the screws holding the metal plate emblazoned with Summer’s icon in place. Rusted and seized. Perfect. She’d shown him how the mechanism came apart, yet he still studied the handwritten notes and diagrams carefully as he unwrapped the crumpled ball from his pocket. Absent-mindedly running a finger along her handwriting as though he were trying to capture her enthusiasm for this task. As each gear came loose, he could practically hear her words of encouragement from their early days at Beacon, doing his best to cause as little damage to her masterful workmanship. His niece had that same knack for practical design. Nothing extra or out of place. The final gear, despite the condition of the rest, was as pristine as the day it had been installed. Almost as though it served no functional use. Perhaps it was that fact itself that pushed Qrow to lift it out of the housing and inspect it further on his palm. Brushed steel, unlike the others, and bearing Summer’s sigil once again.  
_For my Bad Luck Charm -Summer Rose._  
Tears he’d been holding back this entire time finally broke through; sobs that were tugging at his throat given a voice.  
“Still getting me even now, huh, Summer?” He asked into the empty air beside him, silently praying for her to appear. Like the last thirteen years had been some cruel joke she’d played on the people she cared about. That she’d just kneel by his side, wrap her arms around him, and remind him of the promise he made before criticising his haphazard disassembly and offering to put it back together.  
“Mum made Harbinger for you?” For a brief second, Qrow saw a flash of white in the place of red. Ruby should’ve gone home. Before he could even ask how much she’d seen, the rough-cut bob flicked around towards him, gentle smile making him see double. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hear you crying. Wait-I mean-”  
“It’s fine, kiddo. Your Mum would be scolding me for not doing this on a workbench. Hey, uh, why don’t you take the cover? It’ll probably stop working twice as often now she ain’t here to fix it up, no point me keeping the thing on, heheh.” Qrow sighed, watching her inspect the metal disc before tucking it into her pocket as he did the same with the inscribed gear. Next time they trained, he wouldn’t be bruised or bandaged. After all, he had a promise to keep.

That very same thought passed through Ruby’s mind as she added the finishing touch to her new outfit; a brooch made from that plate, which had previously made itself home on her belt. Her hand rested over its new location, taking pride of place on her hood, when Jaune knocked on the door of her and Nora’s room at the inn.  
“Whaddya think?” She asked, posing like an excited child but with a look that threatened to kill him if he said anything other than praise.  
“It’s great! Now come on, we’ve gotta find that Grimm the town told us about.”  
“Who died and made you the leader?” She snarked, grabbing Magnhild from the desk beside her. “Nora’s going to _love_ the modifications I made!”


End file.
